Mote treating stranded dolphin after rescue in Tampa Bay
Update as of Oct. 11, 2015:
Mote Marine Laboratory is sad to announce that Feeny, the adult male bottlenose dolphin that stranded Sept. 17 in Tampa Bay and was transported to Mote to receive critical care passed away Sunday, Oct. 11.
Early Friday morning, Oct. 9, the animal’s health took a sudden downward turn and he was unable to recover. About 1 a.m. Friday morning, he became disoriented and started to lean to one side. Results from ultrasound examinations and blood sample tests revealed that the animal’s blood cells were not regenerating. The animal was also losing weight, which was unusual because of his high-calorie food intake.
Feeny’s cause of death is unknown at this time. Mote staff will perform a necropsy, which is similar to an animal autopsy, to try to determine why Feeny stranded. The necropsy may not lead to the cause of death and several samples will be collected and sent to various labs for further analyses. It could take several weeks to months to get a full picture of what led Feeny to strand.
Necropsy findings help scientists evaluate long-term mortality trends of marine animals, especially those relating to disease, injuries and manmade threats such as boat strikes and fishing gear entanglement. Findings offer vital information for resource managers working to protect marine animals.
Condition update as of Oct. 2., 2015:
Feeny continues to swim on his own, and caregivers are monitoring him from above on the deck. He’s interacting a lot with the environmental enrichment devices (EEDs) in his pool. EEDs are essentially toys designed to provide healthy mental and physical stimulation. He is also enjoying a “rub line,” a thick rope he can rub against. Dolphins naturally slough their outer layer of skin in the wild, and this rope helps with that.
He has gained 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilograms) of weight, and caregivers have slowly increased his amount of food. Feeny is eating up to 21 pounds of fish, including croaker, herring and capelin – his most to date.
Feeny is still anemic and still has signs of pneumonia, and still has metabolic and inflamation abnormalities that caregivers are monitoring in his bloodwork, but our team is grateful to see that he is responding to care.
We recently made this video about Feeny. Did you know that scientists have seen Feeny many times over the years in the wild? Watch and you’ll learn a little about Feeny’s history, as documented by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, which is a collaboration between Chicago Zoological Society and Mote Marine Lab.
Also, we are excited to say that the Gulf Coast Community Foundation's web page, Gulf Coast Gives, is helping us seek donations to support Feeny's care. Click here to see the page and make a donation this month. Our goal is $2,000.
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Condition update as of Sept. 28, 2015:
Feeny remains in critical condition, and monitoring continues. On a positive note, Feeny continues eating all the fish offered, and caregivers were able to successfully raise the water level in his pool and remove human handlers from the water on Sept. 25. The dolphin seems able to swim and support himself without human assistance, and minimizing human contact is ideal for keeping wild dolphins as wild as possible. Mote's goal is to release its animal patients back to the wild.
Blood tests and veterinary examinations show that the Feeny is still anemic and still has signs of pneumonia. The exact reasons the dolphin stranded remain unknown — tests so far have not ruled out the possibility that other health issues are also present.
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Condition update as of Sept. 23, 2015:
The dolphin, nicknamed "Feeny," originally had to be supported for periods of time by caregivers in the water, but for the past 72 hours he has been swimming without assistance. Mote staff recently obtained a more precise weight and found that the dolphin is 436 pounds, which is still considered underweight.
He is eating all the fish that caregivers offer, taking them out of the water himself. Initial examinations and testing on arrival showed he was underweight and dehydrated, and he showed signs of infection, anemia, dehydration and pneumonia as well as other metabolic abnormalities. Caregivers continue to give him fluids and medications, and other tests are still pending, but results so far suggest that further care, monitoring and investigation of his condition are needed.
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An adult male dolphin that stranded Thursday, Sept. 17, on the east side of Tampa Bay is receiving 'round-the-clock care at Mote Marine Laboratory thanks to a great team rescue and response effort.
The dolphin was first spotted by anglers who noticed the dolphin was stranded on its side during low tide. At about 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, they called the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline and as per protocol FWC staff proceeded to call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
“The fishermen did the right thing by calling us right away," said Anna Panike, Biological Scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). "It is very important to never push a stranded marine mammal back into the water. We asked them to move the dolphin into an upright position and keep it wet until we could arrive at the scene. The fishermen volunteered to stay with the dolphin until we arrived which was a huge help.”
The on-scene responders included staff and volunteers from FWC and a Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) veterinarian volunteer. An initial assessment of the dolphin was completed on the sandbar where the dolphin was stranded. That team transported the dolphin to the boat ramp where they met staff from CMA to perform a deep water assessment to determine if the dolphin would be strong enough to immediately release on site. The dolphin showed some signs of attempting to swim and vocalize but was still lethargic. Through discussion among the responders and NOAA, the decision was made to transport the dolphin to a rehabilitation facility.
Mote Marine Laboratory — an independent, nonprofit marine science institution in Sarasota — was selected to rehabilitate the dolphin. CMA and FWC staff and volunteers immediately transported the dolphin in CMA’s transport vehicle, arriving at Mote around 3 p.m.
The dolphin, nicknamed “Feeny,” arrived in very critical condition. As of Monday afternoon, Sept. 21, his condition remains critical but has shown some signs of improvement under the care of Mote's hospital team.
While Feeny originally had to be supported for periods of time by caregivers in the water, he has been swimming without assistance for the past 24 hours. He is eating all the fish that caregivers offer, taking them out of the water himself. Initial examinations and testing on arrival showed he was underweight and dehydrated, and he showed signs of infection, anemia, dehydration and pneumonia as well as other metabolic abnormalities. Caregivers continue to give him fluids and medications, and other tests are still pending, but results so far suggest that further care, monitoring and investigation of his condition are needed.
“Our team at Mote is always at the ready to help marine animals in need — we had space in our medical pool and were able to quickly assemble a team to treat this animal ‘round the clock,” said Lynne Byrd, Medical Care and Rehabilitation Coordinator at Mote.
Having such care available quickly was critical, rescuers said.
“The stranded dolphin was lethargic,” said Andy Garrett, Research Administrator for FWC. “When it was submerged into the water by staff, it showed signs of more activity, but it was still underweight, and usually when a dolphin is stranded, it is stranded for a reason. We didn’t feel it was in the best interest for the animal to release it immediately.”
The hospitals at Mote — an independent, nonprofit marine science institution — have treated 71 dolphins and whales since 1992 and more than 450 sea turtles since 1995, always with the goal of releasing rehabilitated animals to the wild. This critical care means much more than helping an animal in need — it also supports a better understanding of marine animal health, helping to inform both veterinary care and conservation of these animals in the wild.
The new dolphin patient, being an older male, was nicknamed “Feeny” after the lovable and wise character Mr. Feeny from the 1990s sitcom “Boy Meets World.”
“After an initial assessment of Feeny, the dolphin appears to be underweight and has some issues with his lungs,” Byrd said. “We are performing routine blood work and giving him fluids and antibiotics.”
“We wish the best for him, but with animals, we know things can change at any time, so we are watching him closely and providing constant care,” said Gretchen Lovewell, manager of Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program.
“There is no ‘health insurance’ for marine animals, so having a team like Mote’s can make all the difference,” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, Mote President & CEO. “Mote's hospitals must be prepared for new patients at all times, much like emergency rooms. The costs of food, medication and medical testing for any one dolphin or whale can total between $600-1,000 per day. We can only do this with the support of our community. We are truly grateful to everyone who supports this important work.”
To make a donation to Mote's animal hospitals, visit www.mote.org/support, click "Donations" and select "Mote’s animal hospitals" under "Designation."
What should people do if they find a stranded marine animal in Florida?
If you see a stranded, entangled, injured or dead dolphin, whale, manatee or sea turtle anywhere in Florida, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). For marine mammals and sea turtles in Sarasota or Manatee county waters, you can contact Mote's Stranding Investigations Program, a 24-hour response service, at 888-345-2335.
